Anyone know of a good luthier that makes Phil Lesh basses - the one I specifically like is the 4 string Alembic (I think semi hollow) with all the knobs that is in the dead movie and the 1973-4 period. I don't need all the electronics though....

--"And I'm here by the road, tied to the load, that I picked up in ten thousand cafes and bars" - Barlow

Mosfed, those are two different basses. The one in your picture is a Guild Starfire, "The Godfather" aka Big Brown, that was used 71(?)-73/4. The instrument in the GD movie is the Orange Osage, which was made by Alembic. If you don't need/want the onboard electronics, then a 32" scale Alembic with a small standard body and koa top will be sort of close to the one in the movie. Otherwise a 30" mahogany semi-hollowbody with Alembic electronics. Phil used flatwound strings on these basses, and that is a big part of the sound. I like Pyramid Gold flats, lots of folks don't, so experiment a lot in this area.

Bear in mind that a lot of Phil's rig was dedicated to electronic manipulation of the sound, so also consider something similar to an Alembic SF-2.

Is this a 70's bass or a 00's PC...or a Moon Lander? (It's a moon lander) - Tigerstrat

For 60s/70's GD I play a DeArmond Starfire - it was Guild's budget brand, built around 1990 in Korea back when Fender owned Guild. (Maybe they still do?) It's a killer bass, I've had dozens of soundmen and Scott Murawski rave about it's tone. It's pretty far from factory stock though. They're not super easy to find anymore, but if you hang around Guild forums I bet one will come your way. Fits right into an Epiphone Jack Casady case - another bass that might do well for you, I've seen Kevin from DSO use one, and Phil himself.

Mosfed wrote:I just resaw the movie and there is a whole bit with Phil and a tech going through what I thought was the bass I listed above. Maybe I am wrong.

I was clear that it was a guild but I had no idea how extensive the mods were to it other than the really funky electronics.

Thanks for the responses

Well, we've already determined that the bass in the movie was not a Starfire, but the Starfire mods that happened were:

Stage 1: extra magnets in the Hagstrom Bisonic pickups and a buffer attached to each pickup. Door cut in the back to access the electronics.Stage 2: a) Electronics: complete gut of the instrument and Alembic pickups and electronics installed. Similar to the Superfilter (SF2) and also had the quad pickup, although it wasn't used all that much. b) Physical changes: New bridge, tailpiece, nut, all made out of brass. Lower front of the body cut completely off and a new plate carved from maple installed. Extensive shielding. Headstock removed and a new one installed with stronger angle to increase breakpoint of strings over nut. Top half stuffed with foam to suppress feedback.Stage 3:Mostly physical with the installation of an ebony fingerboard and more typical Alembic inlays.

What makes the difference on all of this? The hardware is a big one. I have similar hardware on my Starfire and it made the whole bass resonate with each note. The electronics are also a big deal. The pickups are very different from the Hagstrom or subsequent Dark Stars. The filter setup is also key to getting a handle on the different types of attack that are possible. The ACG preamp is a good alternative, but the Alembic electronics are a whole other level. Even more important are the flatwounds, a good pick and the right hand technique and chordal concepts of a jazz player.

I just bought a Gretsch electromatic short scale. I added some foam inserts into the f-holes (not pictured here) to cut back on feedback. I've also put a steal your face sticker on it like Phil had on Big Brown. It still needs some more mods eventually (new pick-ups and preamp) but it sounds great as is and it's a great start for a Phil tone. I like it a lot better than any of the Epiphone JC models. I've been using it in my gigs when playing 71'-78' GD style sets and I have gotten a lot of great comments on its sound!